Switch Weekly - Just how super is Mario's latest party?

Image via: Nintendo

Hey, Chris here with issue #255 of Switch Weekly, with your Halloween Nintendo update.

Thank you for all the kind messages, tweets, and emails following last week's 5th Anniversary issue. Means a lot to hear from you all. 

Congratulations to James who won a copy of Horace. Thanks to all of those who entered — the game is well worth checking out, so please do consider sticking it on your wish list.

Now, this week's big release was Mario Party Superstars. I picked it up and took it for a spin with some friends last night. I'm not gonna lie, I had a blast revisiting some of the mini game highlights of the series. I imagine your mileage may vary depending on your history with the franchise, but if you can get a group of pals together online this is good stuff regardless. I still kinda find the actual board game modes a total bore though, just gimme the mini game chaos. Oh and yes, I hit some online problems, because of course...  

Talking of online issues...how about that NSO Expansion Pack launch. The N64 and Genesis tier of the service launched earlier this week, and it looks like many folks ran up against some form of issue with it. Be it lag, audio issues, etc. I think playing with friends internationally is a sure fire way to have a bad time — the lag is said to make things pretty unenjoyable. On the whole the overall quality of the emulation has also been criticised. For what it's worth I found it to be perfectly playable, but I've only played briefly, online, with friends based here in the UK. Have you tried it? If so, let me know how you found it. 

If you missed it last week, I've a new Nintendo-themed crossword puzzle for you to solve. If you've already played it, hit reply and let me know how you liked it.

Anyway, next week we've got around 30 games coming to the Switch. Usually I find one or two amongst that list that intrique me — however this week a ton seem worth checking out further. I've marked the ones that piqued my interest with a ⭐️, click through and I think you'll agree there is some pretty unique stuff landing on the store this coming week.

Cheers,  
Chris ✌️

🎮 Currently Playing — Mario Party Superstars, Mario Kart 64, Metroid Dread

Monday, November 1

• QB Planets — Family-friendly space adventure in which you solve 'cubic puzzles'.

Tuesday, November 2

• Galaxy Shooter — Space themed bullet hell shoot 'em up.
• ⭐️ The Legend of Tianding — Sidescrolling action game set in early 20th century Taiwan.
• ⭐️ Unpacking — Zen puzzle game about unpacking boxes and belongings.
• ⭐️📦 World War Z — Popular third-person zombie shooter. M for Mature.

Wednesday, November 3

• Bloodshore — Interactive action-adventure movie.
• Skeletal Avenger — Hack'n'slash roguelite.
• Super Sami Roll — 3D action platformer. (Nov 4 in U.S.)

Thursday, November 4

• ⭐️ A Boy and His Blob — A beloved side-scrolling puzzle platformer from the Wii era.
• Bloody Rally Show — Top-down arcade racing where 'being entertaining' pays off.
• 📦 Cupid Parasite — Otome visual novel. (Nov 2 in U.S.)
• ⭐️ Demon Turf — I've been following the dev of this 3D platformer with interest, looks good.
• 📦 Just Dance 2022 — 40 new tracks here, including Level Up by Ciara, which is a bop TBF.
• ⭐️ Lone McLonegan : A Western Adventure — I like the look of this wild west point-n-click.
• Magic Potion Millionaire — Side-scrolling action. Enter dungeons, brew potions, make profit.
• One Last Memory — Emotional story-driven adventure about the fading memory of an old man.
• Pretty Girls Panic! Plus — M for Mature puzzle arcade game.
• Where Cards Fall — 'Slice of life' coming of age platformer with 50+ spatial puzzles to solve.

Friday, November 5

• ⭐️ Circa Infinity — A 'brain-melting' platformer, kinda reminds of Super Hexagon HD.
• Destructivator SE — Super soldier takes on some platforming/shooting.
• Emergency Driver Simulator — Take up a few different careers in this 3D driving sim.
• ⭐️ Encodya — This seems to have slipped under my radar. A 2.5D adventure set in Neo Berlin. I like how this one looks.
• 📦 Fast & Furious: Spy Racers Rise of SH1FT3R — 3D racing game you can play with...family.
• Om Nom: Run — Endless runner featuring that dinosaur thing from Cut The Rope.
• Pixel Heroes: Mega Byte & Magic — Procedurally generated fantasy RPG roguelike.
• ⭐️ Stilstand — Award winning adventure game that digs into "the core of unpleasant feelings".
• The Gardener and the Wild Vines — Ascend a tower in this quite novel looking platformer.
• The Prince of Landis — A 2D adventure game set in the 1980s, in which a boy learns how to stand up for himself thanks to an alien. Phone home?
• 📦 The Smurfs - Mission Vileaf — 3D Smurg action platformer. (Nov 16 in U.S.)

Saturday, November 6

• .Dog — Basic platformer.